News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-11-17
had made from Lady Pinkerton's de

ScrlptlOn OF her earrings.
left the shop with the two sketches
in my hand, feeling somewhat puzzled.
On the whole, thought it was worth
while to call on Lady Pinkerton, and
show her the drawing which the jeweller
had made.
1 found her ladyship at breakfast in
her boudoir, attended by her maid. In
few words 1 explained the object OF
my visit, and then handed her the
jewellers sketch, asking her if she rec
ognized it. The lady took it with the
tips of her fingers, and looked at it with
a supercilious air; but [ could see that,
in spite of her affectation of nonchalance,
she was deeply interested in what L had
said.
No" she said, with a careless air, as
she laid the sheet of paper on the table.
''There is q resemblance in shape, but
that is nothing. If the earrings were
paste, as you say, they cannot be mine;
my diantonds were not paste.
As Lady Piukerton was speaking, her
maid, Alice Wright, approached the
table with cream jug in her hand, and
as she did SO she glanced at the drawing
which lay directly under her eyes. A
IOOh VI pllSC ONCI biAO SAAA .
face, and she seemed to be on the point
of saying something. She turned away,
however, without speaking, and ut a sign
from her mistress quietly left the room.
I drew the conclusion, as certainly as If
the girl had spoken, that, in her opin-
on, the drawing made by the jewellers
nearly resemnled, at least, one of the
missing trinkets, and I also suspected
that her mistress was desirous that the
girl should keep her opinion to herself.
1t seemed unnecessary to me at the
time to pursue the subject further.
After all, there was nothing surprising
in Lady Pinkerton's unwillingness to
allow it to be supposed that her famous
diamonds had been nothing but paste.
Next day, however, 1 thought had
better see the girl and question her, and
was on the point of setting out for
Devonshire House Terrace, where Lord
Pinkerton lived, when received a tel
egram from the officer who had been
instructed to keep a watch ON Alice
Wright's movements. "Alice Wright
seems to be leaving for the country
Shall I follow her?" said the telegram.
Certainly; and wire address when you
reach her destination" replied.
That evening had the address,
quiet little village in one of the Midland
counties, and next morning 1 surprised
Miss Wright by presenting myself be-
fore her.
"What do you want with me?" she
asked, with an anxious expression. 81
know nothing about the diamonds-I
don't, indeed.
81 don't say you do don't think
you do" I replied. "All [ want to
know is, what do you think of this draw
ing2" Il laid the sketch 1 had received
from the jeweler before her as spoke.)
SIS it fair likeness of one of your
mistress's earrings.
81 don't know; it's not very like, " she
answered slowly.
"You thought it very like it yester-
day" said I.
She started. "Perhaps I thought so
at first, she replied.
1t was plain that the girl had been
told to hold her tongue.
''Why did you come down here, 1
asked.
'This is my home," she answered
with some heat. "My mistress gave
me a months holiday yesterday"
There was no more to be got out of
her, and after telling my man that he
need not devote himself to watching the
girls movements any longer. / retun-
ed to London determined to clear up
the mystery if 1 possibly could.
Whether the diamonds were real or
UOt.
After some little thought I resolved
to visit every one of the diamond mer-
chants in the metropolis. argued that
if the Frenchwoman (who, as believed,
had had one of Lady Pinkerton's ear
rings in her possession) had taken out
the real diamonds and substituted paste
ones she would hardly make q second
attempt to pass them off as real ones;
but if she had been ignorant of the real
character of the brilliants, it was more
than likely that she would try to get
another opinion as to their true value.
With this idea in my head visited one
diamond merchants shop after another,
till at last | found man in quiet
street off Holborn who remembered an
elderly Frenchwoman calling and show
ing him pair of earrings, just about
the time when the West End jeweller
had had the trinkets offered to him.
''Was it any thing like this?" I asked,
producing the sketch which the jewel
Ter had made for me.
"That is very like it, as far as l re-
was the answer. "The lady
said she did not want to part with the
earrings she only wanted to know
whether the stones were real or not"
As the diamond merchant was speak |
ing the door opened, and a short, stout
woman, dressed in black and wearing
thick black veil, entered the room.
The ieweller threw me glance as he
went forward to meet the stranger.
You were SO very kind" she began, |
speaking with slight French accent, |
''as to give me an opinion about trink-
ct short time ago. Will you be so good |
as to tell me whether these stones are
real?' AS she spoke she laid q cross of
brllllants on the table. 1 just glanced
at it. 1t correspondent exactly to the |
description had had of Lady Pinker-
toms diamond pendant. The diamond |
merchant took the cross.
''They are only PASTE" said he, after
a moments glance at the ornament. 81
never saw better limitations, but not one
of these stones is real.
The lady seemed greatly disappointed. |
She thanked the jeweller and left the
shop. Of course / followed her home,
and arrested her on her own doorstep. |
She was, / found, Madame Brancilleau,
4 fashionable dressmaker. In one of |
ler boxes I found a whole set of dia,
nOnd ornaments necklace, pendant, |
iara and earrings, complete.
Madame Brancilleau burst into tears
md loudly protested her ignorance, but
'efused to give nyaccount of the Jewels
lHtil she was convinced that we meant |
% take her to the police station. Then
he whole truth came out. The orna-
nents had been given her by Lady
oinkerton herself Her ladyship had
ound it impossible to array herself as
became a woman of fashion upon the
yery slender allowance which she re
,eived from her husband for that pur-
pose and had run up tremendous bill |
It Madame Brancilleau's. The dress
maker, who had lost money in some
oolish investments she had made,
pressed the lady for payment. Lady |
was at her wits end. She |
Jared not let her husband know of her
and, as she did not be-
ieve that he would pay her debts, it was
title use in applying to him, At last,
IN the very day of her starting for
Northumberland, she gave the jewels to
he dressmaker in payment of her debt,
he French woman undertaking to dis
,ose of the stones separately. Thus the
rinkets had never been in the jewel
ase at all, and Lady Pinkerton gave out
hat she had been robbed in order to ac-
ount to her husband and the world for